Justice Department

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Judge Rules Alina Habba Lacks Legal Authority as US Attorney

Ruling disqualifies Trump's former lawyer from handling New Jersey cases

(Newser) - A federal judge ruled Thursday that Alina Habba, whom President Trump appointed as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor by using a loophole, has been acting without legal authority—throwing the state's federal courts into deeper turmoil. "Because she is not currently qualified to exercise the functions...

White House Rolls Back Protections for English Learners

Advocates warn move could weaken support in public schools

(Newser) - The Education Department has quietly rolled back key rules requiring schools to support students learning English, a move that has raised concerns among advocates for the nation's roughly 5 million school-aged English learners, the Washington Post reports. The department confirmed Tuesday that the guidance, originally established in 2015,...

Judge Keeps Epstein Transcripts Under Wraps

Manhattan judge says government's request appears to be a 'diversion' from files held by DOJ

(Newser) - A Manhattan judge has refused to unseal grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein case. On Wednesday, Judge Richard Berman declined the government's request to unseal grand jury transcripts from the disgraced financier's 2019 sex trafficking prosecution, the New York Times reports. Berman ruled that the government...

Justice Dept. Is Taking a Look at DC's Crime Stats

DOJ is investigating the accuracy of reported crime drops in nation's capital

(Newser) - The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into whether the police department in Washington, DC, manipulated crime statistics to make the city appear safer, according to sources familiar with the case. The probe, which is being run by the federal prosecutor's office in DC, puts local officials...

DOJ Pledges to Turn Over First Epstein Files This Week

Panel's deadline was Tuesday, and Democrats say the the department isn't in full compliance

(Newser) - The Justice Department has notified Congress it will start releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein as soon as Friday, according to Republican Rep. James Comer. The Kentucky Republican, who chairs a House Oversight subcommittee, said the DOJ committed to begin providing records the panel had subpoenaed, the Washington Post...

Bondi Fires DOJ Staffer Over Sandwich Hurled at CBP Agent

'This is an example of the Deep State,' AG railed against man who's now canned and facing a felony

(Newser) - A man charged with a felony for hurling a sandwich at a federal law-enforcement official in the nation's capital has been fired from his job at the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post on Thursday. A video of Sean Charles Dunn berating a...

After Yearslong Investigation, US Indicts 5 Cartel Honchos

Car accident in Tennessee leads to US charges against major Mexican drug operation

(Newser) - The investigation began years ago after two drug dealers got into a car accident in a small Tennessee town. What followed was a series of secret wiretaps, a shoot-out with police, and the discovery of drugs hidden in a tractor trailer that would eventually lead federal investigators back to cartel...

Russia Linked to Hack of Federal Court Filing System

Hackers accessed sealed files in multiple states, leaving officials scrambling to respond

(Newser) - Hackers with suspected ties to Russia recently penetrated the federal court filing system, exposing sensitive documents and highlighting major security flaws in one of the US justice system's most critical networks, the New York Times reports. The hack targeted the computer network that manages federal court documents, including...

Mexico Ships 26 Cartel Figures in Deal With Administration

Transfer follows US promise not to seek death penalty

(Newser) - Mexican officials, under pressure from President Trump to keep fentanyl from crossing the border. announced Tuesday they were sending 26 high-ranking drug cartel members to the US as part of an agreement with the administration. In return, US officials pledged not to pursue the death penalty in the cases,...

Justice Department Subpoenas Trump Foe Letitia James

Feds investigating whether New York state attorney general violated Trump's civil rights

(Newser) - President Trump's Justice Department is going after one of his most prominent foes: New York state Attorney General Letitia James. The department has issued two subpoenas to James, report the New York Times and the AP .
  • One subpoena focuses on James' widely publicized civil fraud case against Trump , which
...

Feds: US Soldier Tried to Give Russia Secrets on Battle Tank

Taylor Adam Lee allegedly hoped to trade details on tank used in Ukraine for citizenship

(Newser) - A US Army soldier from Texas is accused of trying to trade classified tank secrets for Russian citizenship. Federal authorities say Taylor Adam Lee, a 22-year-old service member stationed at Fort Bliss, attempted to hand over sensitive information about America's main battle tank, the M1A2 Abrams, per CBS...

MTG Urges Trump to Commute Santos' Sentence

Ex-congressman is serving 7 years for fraud, identity theft; Trump apparently hasn't ruled out commutation

(Newser) - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling on President Trump to commute the sentence of George Santos, the former New York congressman now serving a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Greene, a vocal Trump ally, posted a letter to the Justice Department on X that argued...

AG Launching Grand Jury Probe Into Obama Officials: Sources

Controversial move comes after Gabbard's comments about 'conspiracy'

(Newser) - Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered a grand jury investigation into whether Obama administration officials broke federal law during their review of Russia's interference in the 2016 election, sparking controversy and criticism from both political parties. Bondi's move, first reported by Fox News and confirmed by a...

Federal Judges Question Trump's Tariff Powers Claim

'Tariffs seems to have no friends in that statute,' appeals court judge says of law Trump is using

(Newser) - A federal appeals court showed clear doubts Thursday about the Trump administration's claim to sweeping tariff powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—a law that, notably, never mentions tariffs. The Justice Department contends President Trump can use the statute to levy broad new taxes on imports,...

Maxwell Asks SCOTUS to Overturn Conviction

Her lawyers say Epstein's Florida deal should shield her from prosecution

(Newser) - Ghislaine Maxwell is asking the US Supreme Court to overturn her 2022 sex-trafficking conviction, arguing that a deal Jeffrey Epstein struck with federal prosecutors should have protected her from prosecution. The core of Maxwell's appeal centers on a 2008 non-prosecution agreement (NPA) Epstein reached with authorities in Florida—...

Arizona Woman Hears Fate for Running N. Korean 'Laptop Farm'

Christina Chapman gets 8 years behind bars for operation that funneled millions to North Korea

(Newser) - An Arizona woman has received an eight-year-plus federal prison sentence for her role in a scheme that allowed North Korean operatives to masquerade as remote IT workers for hundreds of American companies, reports Politico . Christina Chapman, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering, reportedly ran...

UnitedHealth: Feds Are Investigating Us

Stocks dive early as company acknowledges DOJ criminal, civil requests over Medicare practices

(Newser) - Shares of UnitedHealth Group dove early Thursday after the health care giant said that it was under a Department of Justice investigation, reports the AP . The company said that it has started complying with both criminal and civil requests from federal investigators. UnitedHealth "has a long record of responsible...

Justice Department to Meet With Ghislaine Maxwell

Meeting with Epstein collaborator comes with the president under pressure

(Newser) - A new development in the Jeffrey Epstein drama: A top Justice Department official plans to meet with the sexual predator's longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, reports the New York Times . Todd Blanche, the No. 2 official under Attorney General Pam Bondi, tweeted that Bondi instructed him to seek the meeting...

Johnson Changes Course on Releasing Epstein Files

There'll be no House vote before recess, speaker now says

(Newser) - The House won't vote this summer on whether the Justice Department should release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday, after he called last week for the Trump administration to "put everything out there." The Rules Committee has already sent a...

Judge Gives 33 Months Instead of 1 Day in Breonna Taylor Case

DOJ contended Brett Hankison, who fired into Louisville apartment but didn't hit anyone, had been punished enough

(Newser) - A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor, declining a Justice Department recommendation that he not be given any prison time. Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots without hitting anyone,...

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